Retractable twin keel



Jan. 22, -1 963 F. R. WADE RETRACTABLE TWIN KEEL Filed March 17, 1961 INVENTOR 3,074,368 RETRACTABLE TWEQ KEEL Floyd R. Wade, 6224 Tourraine Drive, Newark, Calif. Filed Mar. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 96,441 1 Claim. (Cl. 114-141) The present invention relates to sail boats and in particular to a retractable twin keel.

An object of the present invention is to provide a keel structured for a sail boat which permits hauling of the sail boat in an upright condition on a fiat bed trailer.

Another object is to provide a twin keel for a sail boat so as to improve the stability of the boat.

These and other objects Will be understood from the following description when considered with the attached drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a flat bed trailer with a sailboat supported thereon, the boat being equipped with the twin keel of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the keels, removed from the boat of FIG. 1, and in retracted condition, and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the keels in extended condition.

With reference to the drawing, the numeral designates a trailer, preferably having a solid flat bed, although any other structure may be found suitable.

The double or twin keel structure, as at 20 in FIG. 1, serves to support the boat 39 in an upright condition on the trailer 10.

Each keel 29 consists in a metal frame 22 which may be bolted to the bottom of the boat 30. Each frame 22 has an upturned rear end 31 adapted to the contour of the stern of a boat. The purpose of this upturned end being, of course, to prevent any boat placed on the frames from slipping on the same when it is being towed on a trailer. A link plate 24 connects each frame 22 to the keel plate 26 which, When the boat 30 is in the water depends below, as in FIG. 3, and stabilizes the boat in the well known manner of all keel, either fixed or retractable. The frames 22 are arranged in lateral spaced relation and are adapted to be secured to the under side of the boat by conventional means.

As will be obvious to one skilled in the art, the double keel structure permits loading of the trailer by a single person and with ease and facility, and when extended below the boat affords greater stability to the boat.

While only a preferred form of the invention is shown and described other embodiments are contemplated and numerous changes and modifications may be made in the invention Without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

What is clairned is:

A retractable twin keel of the character described, comprising a pair of frames secured to the bottom of a boat in lateral and parallel spaced relation to each other, each of the said frames being rectangular in both cross section and top plan form and each one of which embodies an upturned rear end conforming to the contour of the stern of said boat and the front end of each one of the said frames formed into a downwardly extending portion having the side plan form of an equilateral triangle near the apex of which is pivotally secured one end of a link plate which has its other end pivotally secured to a portion of a rectangular keel plate which when retracted will have one of its long edges supporting the underside of a portion of that frame to which it is pivotally attached while the other long edge of the said keel plate which is parallel to the first stated edge is adapted to rest on the upper surface of the flatbed of a trailer.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 498,082 Pigott May 23, 1893 604,930 Doucet May 31, 1898 2,477,425 Seaholm July 26, 1949 2,521,212 Geisler Sept. 5, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,547 Great Britain of 1871 7,312 Great Britain of 1888 1,282 Great Britain of 1913 373,892 Germany Apr. 17, 1923 925,219 France Mar. 24, 1947 

